Tuesday 3 December 2013

Once Upon a Time in Covent Garden


So this weekend I found myself, on a late Sunday afternoon, sitting in an office opposite a very angry and frustrated elf. Why was I there? Well my mission was to save Christmas.

No I haven't gone completely insane - well not yet! It's all part of theatre company Look Left Look Right and Covent Garden's re-imagining of the classic panto, which takes you on an adventure around the historic market. Look Left Look Right are a theatrical troupe, well known for taking performances away from the stage and their recent artistic residency at the Corinthia Hotel was an instant hit. Unfortunately I missed out last time, but this time I was determined to see them in action.

Now I've been sworn to secrecy by Cinderella, but I can tell you snippets without giving away too much. I mean I didn't sign a contract before the performance began....oh no wait I did.

Anyway, as I mentioned at the beginning, my mission was to save Christmas. So what's the background detail? Cinders and Prince Charming have run away from Pantoland to the human world. Wild and outrageous rumours are circulating of scandalous affairs, but worst of all if we, as the elves helpers, don't find them then Christmas is cancelled. I'm quite possibly one of the biggest fans of Christmas so I took this mission very seriously. Maybe a little too seriously.

So off I went, scuttling around Covent Garden meeting with different characters to try and piece together the truth and save Christmas.

I would say that I did well in this mission, but on reflection maybe not. Apparently trying to get Buttons drunk on schnapps isn't part of the script nor is it advisable to convince Snow White to run off with the Huntsmen. It's also not nice to tweet that Cinderella is a bald #slut. In my defence I was pressured to come up with something mean by Prince Charming's best friend Dandini - well that's what Cinderella thinks.

Interactive theatre isn't everyone's cup of tea, my sister positively shudders at the idea, but I love it! Maybe I see it as my chance to act or maybe it's just a good way for me to vent my over abundance of energy. It also makes the whole experience more exciting not only for us as the audience, but also for the performers plus it can't help but get you excited about Christmas. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling to get into the festive spirit this year then this will certainly shake off those Scrooge like feelings. It's certainly got me festive!

Once Upon A Christmas runs till the 15th December and tickets are available to buy from here www.ltmuseum.co.uk. 

To learn more about Look Left Look Right visit www.lookleftlookright.com. I'll certainly be checking out what they'll be doing next.

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